Michigan
16-12 (9-9)
Minnesota
20-10 (11-7)
Michigan Falls to Minnesota in Regular-Season Finale
3/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Score: Minnesota 63, Michigan 48
Records: U-M (16-12, 9-9 Big Ten), Minnesota (20-10, 11-7 Big Ten)
Next Game: Thursday, March 6 -- vs. Penn State at Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis, Ind.), Noon, Big Ten Network
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team closed its regular season with a 63-48 loss to Minnesota Sunday afternoon (March 2)at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (16-12, 9-9 Big Ten) were unable to sendthe four seniors away from their home court on a winning note, falling victim to an 11-0 Golden Gopher run early in the second half that put the game out of reach for a majority of the remaining minutes.
Senior Janelle Cooper(Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in 37 minutes to lead U-M. Junior Stephany Skrba(Toronto, Ontario/Langstaff Secondary School) chipped in 11 points, three boards and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench.
Michigan's four seniors all had a hand in the team's 11-5 start. Katie Dierdorf(St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) tipped the opening jump ball to Krista Clement(St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS), who took it strong to the hole for the game's first basket. Dierdorf tipped another loose ball on the ensuing Minnesota possession, which resulted in an easy lay-in from Cooper on the other end. TaShia Walker(Lansing, Mich./J.W. Sexton HS) kept the offense flowing with an aggressive move to the rim, while Clement fired a pass into sophomore Krista Phillips(Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate HS) for an easy two. Clement capped off the solid start with a triple, which gave U-M the six-point lead with 15:59 left in the first half.
The Gophers scored six unanswered points to tie things up at the 13:54 mark, but freshman Veronica Hicks(Chicago, Ill./Thornwood HS) came off the bench and gave the Wolverines a boost with back-to-back buckets on the baseline. Hicks scored the latter hoop, which put Michigan in front 15-11, by bouncing the ball off the back of a Minnesota player on the inbounds.
The two teams traded baskets in the remaining minutes of the half, with junior Jessica Minnfield(Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic HS) draining a pair of three-pointers in the final 4:32 to help the Maize and Blue stay tied with the Gophers at 27-27 heading into the break.
The Wolverines shot 55 percent (12-of-22) from the field in the first half but turned the ball over 12 times, resulting in 10 Minnesota points.
The Gophers opened the second half with an 11-0 run to regain a 38-27 lead. U-M, meanwhile, got some solid looks but misfired on its first 10 attempts from the field. A basket from Phillips snapped a 5:39 scoring drought and pulled Michigan within nine points, 38-29, at 14:21. The Wolverines would narrow the gap to eight (42-34) with a pair of Skrba free throws with 12:28 left on the clock.
Minnesota maintained its rhythm, knocking down four of its next eight shots to push the lead to 52-39 at 9:21. U-M was unable to draw closer than 11 points the rest of the way, and the Wolverines walked off the floor with a remarkable 10-3 record at home for the season.
Michigan enters the Big Ten Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed; U-M will face No. 10 seed Penn State in the opening round on Thursday (March 6) at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The noon game will be televised by the Big Ten Network and can be heard live on radio station WTKA (AM 1050). The tournament will be played Thursday through Sunday (March 6-9).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
